BEIJING, April 18 -- Dusty conditions will continue to prevail in many parts of northern China today and in the coming few days, meteorologists warn.

    Beijing experienced one of its dustiest days of the year when residents woke up yesterday morning to find the ground and cars covered with a layer of dust.

    Yang Keming, the leading forecaster at the Central Meteorological Office, said the main reason for the dusty weather in Beijing which he described as the most serious since 2003 was sand blowing from a severe storm that originated from Mongolia and Inner Mongolia on Sunday.

    He added that the huge amount of vehicle emissions and the floating dust from ubiquitous construction sites in Beijing were making matters worse.

    "This is definitely one of the most serious pollution days in Beijing," he told China Daily, adding that the visibility in Haidian District fell to 400 metres.

    He said that the dusty conditions in Beijing would end around noon today when a force 3-4 northwest wind would blow the sand away.

    The dusty conditions brought much inconvenience to the residents.

    "It was like a dust rain," said An Zengming, a door guard of Yinghua Hotel near the Fourth Ring Road in Chaoyang District.

    "My clothes got dirty shortly after I began standing here from 7 am," he said ruefully while blowing off the dust on his cap.

    Wang Hui, an accountant who migrated to Beijing from Dalian, a port city in Northeast China's Liaoning Province, said that inspired by her elder neighbours, she had bought three mouth muffles for her family members. "This (the dust) is definitely bad for my health," she said. "This never happens in Dalian."

    Yang advised people to avoid outdoor activities or wear mouth muffles or scarves if they must walk outside.

    "Small children had better stay at home during such days," he said.

    The dusty conditions will continue in the coming few days in most of northern China, with severe sandstorms predicted to hit the middle-western part of Inner Mongolia, the Central Meteorological Office said.

    A severe sandstorm hit central Inner Mongolia yesterday afternoon, with the visibility of the worst-hit areas falling to 200 metres.

    The State Forestry Administration (SFA), which monitored the conditions, said that the latest dust storms affected more than 500 counties within 10 provinces in northern China, covering an area of about 1.6 million square kilometres and affecting a population of about 200 million.

    Kang Ling, deputy director of the Inner Mongolian Meteorological Observatory, attributed the dry weather and sudden temperature variations to the widespread dust this spring. Nine days of dusty conditions, including six sandstorms, had occurred in Inner Mongolia so far this spring, she said.

    Liu Tuo, director of the sand prevention and control office under the SFA, said it is impossible to eliminate sandstorms under current situation.

    "The source of China's sandstorm originates from not only the vast, sandy land in northern China, but also some foreign countries," Liu said.

    And the current more than 1.7 million square kilometres of sandy soil and deserts in northern China cannot be reclaimed in a short time, he said.

    (Source: China Daily)